A valve is a device that controls, directs or regulates the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Various types of valves are available: gate, globe, diaphragm, pinch, pressure relief, plug, ball, butterfly, and check, control valves, etc. Each of these types has a number of models, each of which has different characteristics and functional capabilities. From many to pick from it can be hard to determine which valve is right for your application. We discuss the advantages of ball valves over globe valves in this article.
The primary distinction between the ball and globe valves is how they close. Ball valves have a stem and ball that move horizontally and are generally called “rotational” valves. Globe valves, on the other side, have a stem and plug that strokes linearly, giving them their other name of “stroke” valves. Ball valves are ideally designed for systems that need on / off the power without reducing the pressure. While globe valves excel at regulating flow.
Ball valves are equipped for inside the valve with a ball. A ball valve is a type of a quarter-turn valve that regulates the flow through it using a hollow, perforated and pivoting ball (called a “floating ball”). It is open when the hole of the ball is in line with the flow and when the valve handle pivots it 90-degrees, it is closed. The handle is flat in alignment with the flow when it is opened and perpendicular to it when it is closed, making it easy to visually confirm the status of the valve.
Globe valves became the industry norm of control valves for many years. They’re known after their spherical body shape, with an internal baffle dividing the two halves of the body. It has an opening that creates a seat on which a movable plug (or disc) can be screwed to close the valve. Usually, automatic globe valves utilize smooth stems instead of threads and are opened and closed by the actuator assembly.
Ball valves are robust, working well after several cycles, and stable, firmly closing even after long periods of disuse. Such characteristics make them an ideal alternative for shut-off applications, where they are sometimes favored to gates and globe valves. On the other hand, ball valves may not provide the finest control in the throttling applications provided by globe valves.
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